Vancouver Olympics Introduces New York Adirondack Land Sports To America
A quick glance at the current Olympic medal count reveals obvious geographic similarities. The countries currently on the medal board—USA, Canada, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Sweden, Norway, S. Korea and China-- are either northern countries that receive substantial annual snowfall or have mountainous regions such as the Alps that receive heavy snow. Winter sports are practiced widely in these regions, and thus they produce some of the top world winter Olympians.
Living in New York, Vermont, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Ontario, or Quebec, it’s easy to forget that we have access to the Adirondack North Country land region in New York, one of the great winter outdoor recreational areas of the United States.
Yet with the exception of downhill skiing and snowboarding, the vast majority of Americans have never had much exposure, let alone substantial recreational experience in, any of the sports being showcased at the winter Olympics.
Despite this, water coolers are abuzz with conversations about the disastrous last minute crash of the South Koreans and Apollo Ohno’s exciting silver finish in the 1,500 m short track. People who have neither cross country skied nor ever held a rifle in their hands are suddenly discussing how biathalon athletes must time their shots to the rhythms of their heartbeats. And others are scoffing at luge runs under 90 miles per hour, knowledgably pointing out where the racer went wrong.
Photo: Richmond Olympic Oval Vancouver 2010 Olympics Attribution: Duncan Rawlinson
Without even realizing it, everyday Americans are all being introduced to the mysteries of winter recreational sports as we watch these Olympic games. And what many don’t realize is that these winter sports are commonly found in certain mountainous regions of the world, including right here in New York.
New York Adirondack North Country land has backcountry frozen ponds and rivers in winter on which to skate or play ice hockey, outdoor activities that were once ubiquitous and are probably due for a comeback. Cross country skiing and snowmobiling are quite popular activities these days, and many areas of the Adirondack North Country have groomed trails.
So let out the inner curler or biathlete in you, and let these winter Olympics inspire you to take up some form of winter outdoor land recreation. Take your family to the Adirondack region for a weekend and have the whole family give winter recreational activities a try.
If you need some ideas about different New York land for different winter recreational activities, look through my recent winter blog posts for more ideas.
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